CAMPAIGNERS last night urged residents to stand up for Southport over fears that public sector cutbacks could destroy the town’s identity.

Southport Civic Society warned that the stripping of assets from the town – such as the removal of the civil and criminal courts and various council departments – could leave our resort “just another stop on the railway line from Liverpool”.

Chairman Martin Perry accused Sefton Council and the Government of selling Southport “down the river to Bootle”.

Council planning, building regulations and environmental health departments have all been moved to south of the borough, while from May local justice will be served at South Sefton Magistrates’ Court.

Civil cases will go to Preston or Liverpool when Southport County Court closes this year.

Mr Perry said: “Southport is a substantial town which has its own identity – we are not a suburb of anywhere.

“We are not a dormitory town of Liverpool anymore than we are a dormitory of Preston, yet we are rapidly having our identity removed.

“The asset stripping is such that soon we will just be another stop on the railway line from Liverpool – like Sandhills, Hall Road and Hightown.

“It is simply not acceptable to remove our assets and merge our identity into Bootle.”

Southport Civic Society said it “strongly opposed” the looming closure of the Botanic Gardens Museum and its nursery operation, axed as part of a £66m Sefton savings drive.

Mr Perry said he was concerned for the future of several other town sites, including the Albert Road police station complex and Victoria Park’s archery ground and model boating pond.

A number of facilities have been lost from Southport in recent years, including children’s casualty and maternity services to Ormskirk.

Sefton PCT has also u-turned over a minor-injuries unit for children in the town.

Southport MP John Pugh insisted that local politicians were united for a better town.

He said: “Too often in the past political divisions within Southport have weakened attempts to win battles with outside bodies and organisations.

“Fortunately, we are at time when Southport's elected representatives are more united than ever and have a powerful, developing voice in the Southport Area Committee.

“Southport was an example of the ‘Big Society’ before that term was coined with hosts of organisations working for the good of the town and its citizens.

“If we can pool, develop and use better the enormous amount of community energy that exists we need not fear being eclipsed by anyone.”